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The U.S. Navy plans to award a contract during fiscal year 1996 for the LPD-17, lead ship of an eventual 12-ship buy designed to maintain a total amphibious force lift capability of 2.5 Marine Expeditionary Brigades.
The decision to proceed with the preliminary design of what was then the LX-90ID variant was made in January 1993, following a thorough review described in these pages by officers involved in the procurement process (see “Picking the Latest ’Gator,” Proceedings, August 1992, pages 91-93).
The LPD-17 will be the first surface ship pro
subject to the revised 1991 Defense Systems Acquisition Policy. As a result, the Naval Sea Systems Command has completed detailed studies— more and earlier—to support the demanding review process, which includes a Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis (COEA). The preliminary design satisfies all Operational Requirements Document thresholds and meets some key lift goals. The LPD-17 will lift 7004- troops; accommodations enable a typical 42-man rifle platoon to berth together for unit cohesion.
Recently designated the LPD-17 because it “more closely reflects the capabilities of the Austin LPD-4 class ships than the other three ship classes [Anchorage (LSD-36)-class dock landing ships, Newport (LST-1179)-class tank landing ships, and Charleston (LKA-113)-class amphibious cargo ships] that it will functionally replace," it is capable of transporting troops, vehicles, equipment, palletized cargo, and fuel to the amphibious objec tive area. Table 1 summarizes its characteristics.
Primary capabilities include a flight deck capable of supporting helicopters and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft; a well deck capable of supporting displacement landing craft (wet well) and LCAC aircushion landing craft (dry well); and vehicle decks, cargo holds, fuel tankage and troop spaces to carry the required lift. The LPD-17 class, however, will not have ST-1179’s beaching capability, the LPD-4’s flag capabilities, or the LKA-113’s over-the-side heavy-lift capability.
The ship is powered by four
medium- speed marine diesel engines through two double-reduction main reduction gears incorporating reversible converter couplings. The diesels provide 20,000 horsepower per shaft to the two 16-foot fixed-pitch propellers, which are modified versions of the advanced technology demonstration propeller-blade geometry developed for the Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Flight HA-class destroyers. The design delays cavitation onset and reduces cavitation noise and blade- bolt stress. It will be an all electric
auxiliaries ship, eliminating the need for troublesome auxiliary boiler systems. (See Table 1.)
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are state-of-the- art. The supply ventilation also provides chemical, biological, and radiological filtration and maintains positive pressure throughout the collective protection system. The system includes watertight closures and ductwork. A smoke ejection system will keep the damage control deck clear in the event of fire.
The ship was designed to be highly survivable. The sloped steel superstructure and raked tripod masts reduce radar cross section. Structural design includes collective protective system zones, shock hardening, blast and fragmentation protection, and improved subdivision. Vital system architecture provides primary and secondary redundancy. Congress has mandated the incorporation of an integrated ship-selfdefense system to defend
against sea-skimming cruise missiles.
Weapons may include the Rolling Airframe Missile and the Phalanx
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Proceedings / January 1995
Table 1: LPD 17 Preliminary Design Characteristics | |
ShiD Characteristics | Accommodations |
Length overall 208.4 m | Ship \Troops |
Beam, 31.9 m | Officers 32 66 |
Draft (full load) 7.0 m | CPOs/SNCOs 29 40 |
Displacement (full load) 25,300 | Enlisted/Troops 404 594 |
metric tons | 465 700 |
Propulsion plant (4) diesels | Note: Surge bunks available for additional |
(2) Shafts | troops; total troop accommodations under |
Sustained speed 21+knots | further review |
Electric plant (5) 2,500 KW | Vehicle/Carao Stowaae |
diesel generators | Three vehicle decks 2,360 m2 |
Aviation Facilities | Three cargo holds/ Magazines 726 m3 |
Hangar: One CH-53-E, or two | Cargo fuel 1,230 m3 |
CH-46s, or two MV-22s, | Two LCACs |
or three UH/AH-1s Landing: Two CH-53-Es, or | Medical Facilities |
Four CH-46s, or | Two operating rooms |
Four MV-22s, or | 24-person hospital ward |
FourUH/AH-1s | 100-person overflow capacity |
Table 2: LPD-17 Aircraft All-Weather Operations
Navv/Marine Helicopters
H-1.H-2, H-3, H-46, H-53, H-60 Note: The MV-22 also should receive all-weather certification.
Coast Guard Helicopters
HH-3F, H-60J, HH-65 Army Helicopters
H-1, H-6A, H-47, H-54, H-60A, AH-64 Air Force Helicopters H-1.H-3E, H-53, H-60G
Close-in-Weapon System; a 16-cell vertical launch system for the Evolved Sea Sparrow is under consideration. Various countermeasure systems such as Nixie torpedo coun termeasure set and SUBROC chaff launchers will augment the defensive capability.
Because aviation support is so important in amphibious operations, the ship is equipped with optical landing aids,
Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN), mast- mounted homing beacon, wave-off lights, glide-slope indicator, deck status lights, deck lighting, extended line-up lights, and obstruction lighting. Table 2 lists the aircraft that will be certified for day-and-night operations in instrument meteorological conditions. Flight deck certification for the Marine AV-8B will be for day-only visual meteorological conditions operations. Full weapon support is provided for the AH-1W attack helicopter.
The stern gate and well deck are similar to those of the Essex (LHD-1) and Whidbey Island (LSD-41)-class ships, though configured for two LCACs. The well extends up to the main deck and a beach provides access from the main vehicle deck. Organizational- level maintenance is provided for the LCACs in workshops adjacent to the well deck. The LPD-17 will meet all current environmental and pollution control requirements.
Accommodations, living, and service spaces support 465 officers and crew (male-female) plus the required troop lift. Facilities provide improved habitability.
It will be outfitted with the latest environmental and pollution-control systems. A vacuum collection, holding, and transfer system will handle sewage. Though a waste-processor will handle some solid waste, more stringent regulations may necessitate
a design change to replace the trash compactor and solid-waste pulper. It is fitted with an oil-pollution-abatement system.
The design team is using common sense and working with industry representatives to “make the transition to metric as painless as possible.” The ship design was slightly resized so that the main dimensions, frame spacing, and deck heights would be described in whole metric units, reflecting a “hard” metric naval architecture design. Metric steel plates will be used as U.S. steel mills have indicated that they would have no problem producing the specified plates at no premium. T-stiffeners, which use nominal dimensions, will be procured in standard U.S. shapes with a “soft” metric conversion. Thus, the LPD-17 is a hybrid metric ship design.
Concurrent with the LX program, the Navy began improving the overall ship design, acquisition, and construction process. Some early recommendations, such as the use of a relatively small, collocated design team, were readily incorporated in the process. Equipment standardization and modular construction, advocated by the Affordability Through Commonality (ATC) Program will be adopted where possible to save costs and reduce production time. As a first step, the six 12,000 gallon- per-day reverse osmosis desalination plants and ten 1,000 gallon- per-minute Navy Standard titanium firepumps will be assembled off-ship and installed as modules. Modularized heads should be accepted following testing on board the USS Briscoe (DD-977).
In a separate producibility effort, the team modified the basic hull form to reduce or eliminate complex curvature, to increase the use of single curvature plate sections, and to maximize the use of parallel midbody without adversely affecting hydrodynamic performance.
Industry support should facilitate further improvements. Representatives will review specifications and drawings to minimize any confusion or potential ambiguities, and also will be involved in producibility initiatives, metrication, and computer-aided acquisition and logistics support.
Lieutenant Commander Surko is an Engineering Duty Officer assigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Carderock Division. Ship Systems Engineering Station. Philadelphia. He has recently joined the ATC Program as project naval architect.
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Proceedings/January 1995